(a) Field of the Invention
This application relates to a device and system for preventing people, and particularly children, from falling into plumbing or drainage pits, and particularly access pits that are lined with corrugated pipe, such as metal or HDPE plastic type pipe.
(b) Discussion of Known Art
Sump pumps are typically housed within sump pits in the manner show in U.S. Pat. No. 8,500,412 to Williams et al., incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. As can be appreciated by the installation shown in the Williams et al. disclosure, many systems and connections used to operate the sump pump. These systems and connections extend into the sump pit, which is typically made from corrugated plastic material, such as HDPE (high density polyethylene). The sump pit is typically installed with a lid that has one or more cutouts that allow tubing and electrical systems that are connected to the pump to extend from the pit.
An important problem associated with these pump pit and lid arrangements is that the lid is often easily removed. This is particularly true of systems made from corrugated plastic, where the lid is also made of plastic, and thus any mechanisms used to secure the lid to the pit are also plastic. The drawback to these lids is that the rigidity and strength of the lids facilitates easy removal by children, and do not resist a great amount weight. Thus, there exists a danger of unintended removal of the lid, or of re-installing of the lid in a manner that the lid cannot resist the weight of a child, much less the weight of an adult.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a device that acts as a backup safety mechanism that limits the possibility of people stepping into the pit, either because the lid was left off of the pit or because the lid was improperly engaged and the weight of the person allow the person to fall into the pit.
Therefore, a review of known devices reveals that there remains a need for a simple device that can be used to reduce the risk of stepping into a sump pit. Still further, there remains a need for a simple device that serves as a second tier of protection in preventing children from falling into sump pits, and for reducing the possibility of injury to an adult who inadvertently steps into the sump pit.
Still further, there remains a need for a safety device that is easy to install within a sump pit, and which impedes falls into the sump pit while accommodating space for the routing of tubing and electrical systems that are used with the sump pump.